Nutritional, physicochemical and anatomical evaluation of creole corn varieties from the region of the Costa Chica of Guerrero

Abstract Corn (Zea mays) is the most consumed cereal in México, so it is necessary to know the nutritional and anatomical quality of the grains, which have been the main conservation and consumption criteria of the prehispanic peoples. This practice has allowed to preserve varieties of Creole corn, however, due to the lack of knowledge of these characteristics the cultivation of these maize has been reduced, presenting a high risk of disappearing. The objective was to determine the physical, nutritive and functional quality of four varieties of creole corn: Purple-Olotillo, Dos-Puntas, Toro and Olotillo. Toro presented the highest values of width and thickness (10.79 and 7.71 mm). The Toro showed better values of Endosperm and Pericarp (84.25% and 4.01%), Dos-Puntas and Olotillo showed higher values of Germ (10.75%) and Pericarp (6.2%), respectively. The Toro had a higher content of Carbohydrates and Proteins (74.47 and 10.61%). In WSI, the best value was obtained by Dos-Puntas (11.91%) and WAI the Olotillo (245.56 g H2O/g sample). It is concluded that the Toro has better nutritional content and larger and weight grains, while the Olotillo presented the highest values of WAI, it can confer better technological properties for food processing.